“The forehand was impressive, the serving consistent and powerful, but what stood out, as always, was the mental toughness,” that’s how the American WTA legend Chris Evert applauded Coco Gauff’s commendable win at the WTA Finals. The young champ not only won the year-end title but also established her name in the history books as the youngest American player after Serena Williams to win the title. While there have been several players who have appreciated the young champ for this amazing win, former pro Justine Henin has also made a strong admission about Gauff.

Coco Gauff ended her season on a high by winning the prestigious WTA Finals, where she rapidly improved her game. The young champ went through a tough phase over the summer but came back strong to finish the season with 13 wins out of her last 15 matches. Analyzing her performance at the WTA Finals, Former world No. 1 Justine Henin shared high praise for Gauff and therefore pointed to her determination and handling of pressure as the main reasons for her recent success.

Henin, a seven-time Grand Slam champion, believes that Gauff has an extraordinary future ahead. She said, “She has a resilience that potentially will take her very far in terms of what she will win in her career,” in an interview with Eurosport. Henin highlighted Gauff’s ability to recover from setbacks and considered it as a promising sign. “She has the capacity to bounce back, and that’s the sign of a potentially very big future,” she added.

Gauff didn’t just beat world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka but also defeated world No. 2 Iga Swiatek at the WTA Finals before sealing victory over Qinwen Zheng in the final. This victory made her the youngest WTA Finals champion since Maria Sharapova in 2004. Henin admired Gauff’s competitive spirit, saying, “She never gives up and that’s what she showed once more in that final.”

Henin also acknowledged the challenges Gauff faced over the summer, making it clear that this season was much harder than her successful summer run last year. However, Henin was still impressed by Gauff’s performance in Riyadh. She noted that Gauff handles criticism well, saying, “Even if we can analyze her career and her results, we must also not forget that she is still very young and we are very demanding with her.”

Gauff will not compete in this week’s Billie Jean King Cup Finals in Malaga, Spain, with Jessica Pegula also absent. Danielle Collins will now lead the USA team as the top-ranked singles player against Slovakia on November 14 along with other strong teammates like Taylor Townsend. However, Henin is the only former pro to praise Gauff amid her rapid rise.

When Rennae Stubbs backed Coco Gauff amid controversy at the WTA Finals

Coco Gauff’s journey to victory at the WTA Finals wasn’t without controversy. After a strong start in the group stage, Gauff faced Barbora Krejcikova in her last round-robin match. Her performance in this match raised questions, as defending champion Iga Swiatek needed Gauff to win to reach the semifinals. Swiatek had done her part by defeating Daria Kasatkina, but Gauff ultimately lost to Krejcikova 7-5, 6-4. This result eliminated Swiatek from the tournament and therefore allowed Gauff to advance instead.

The Eurosport commentator Lech Sidor was not happy with Gauff’s effort in the match. While he was all praise for Krejcikova, he seemed like suggesting that Gauff didn’t put her 100% effort into the match. Taking to X, Sidor wrote, “And the whole elaborate plan in the f–k, @CocoGauff engaged like an intern at the cash register in 🐞 , no comment, just remind me: what’s her ranking? 🤦🏼‍♀️ , kudos to @BKrejcikova – she kept her nerves in check and proved that she plays very fair tennis! 👈” [Translated by Google]

If Gauff won against Krejcikova, Iga Swiatek would have made it to the semis and would have faced Aryna Sabalenka. While that would have been a thrilling encounter, a Gauff Vs Swiatek showdown was also possible in the final. But with the American star losing against Krejcikova, two of the potential exciting match-ups went out of the window.

Rennae Stubbs, former coach of Serena Williams, however, defended Gauff on her podcast. Stubbs pointed out that losing to Krejcikova meant the American had to face the world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the semi-final. She wouldn’t set up a tough encounter for herself by deliberately losing a match.

“Coco wouldn’t lose on purpose to face the world No. 1 in the semis,” Stubbs said. All, however, ended well for Gauff, as she managed to clinch the title beating Qinwen Zheng in the final. Do you think Gauff can carry her form into the next season? Let us know in the comments below.